April 03, 2014

Overwhelmed Working v. Clueless Idle: 21st Century Cultural Divde

Life has become binary in 21st century America.

There are the overwhelmed working who Brigid Schulte describes in her book "Overwhelmed: Work, Love, and Play When No One Has the Time." Here is The Atlantic discussion by Rebecca Rosen of that phenomenon.

Then there are those not working. Because they aren't experiencing the minute-by-minute pressures of getting, doing and holding onto work, they are clueless how to interact with the great overwhelm.

Increasingly, the two cultures clash. Coming back from a sales call in Manhattan, I encountered a chatty idle on the elevator in my complex. As Schulte captures, I was exhausted. In addition, I was preoccupied with the high cost of that possible sale and if I would close on it. The talker couldn't or wouldn't read body language and facial expressions. Silence in public places is the universal assumption among those of us who work.

The tragedy is that, because they are so out of touch with the ethos of the working world, the idle are usually doomed to remain just that way. From the get go in a job interview, for example, their pacing is all off. They take too long at everything, including how they answer the questions. To join the work world they probably have to attend some kind of "re-education camp." At it they would learn about a speeded-up mindset and the no-talk rule.